This month, San Diego will have a moment in the national spotlight when Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game comes to town. It’s the first time the Padres have played host since 1992. The sport’s top players will be here, and it’s a thrill for fans to see all that talent gathered in one place.
I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest baseball fan. But all the hoopla and tradition and attention is a lot of fun.
And what I can really relate to is a celebration of the best of the best. Recognition of outstanding performance plays an essential role in our organization. It’s one of the five parts in our General Management System that we use to run the County.
So in the spirit of the game, I’d like to name a few of our own “County All-Stars.” Some heavy hitters recognized throughout the year that I want to bring back out for a bow.
Before I dive in, I’ll note that there’s that other big July event in San Diego: Comic-Con. If that’s more your thing, you just go ahead and substitute “superhero” for “All-Star.” Onto our lineup.
Each year, the Deputy District Attorneys Association recognizes outstanding prosecutors. This past year, they named five: David Grapilon, Marisa Di Tillio, Michelle Ialeggio, Scott Pirrello and Kristie Nikoletich. These dedicated people spend their days – long days – digging into the details of the most horrifying stories you can imagine. Murders, child torture, organized crime, elder abuse. Public safety is our top priority at the County, and the tenacious and tireless work of these prosecutors in bringing criminals to justice is making us safer.
The County has long stressed using the power of technology to make us more efficient. We highlight successes with IT Innovator awards. Nominations last year included things like a centralized system for controlling energy use at multiple County facilities, a tool that lets nurseries schedule agricultural inspections online, and the use of tablets to assess accessibility at polling places.
The IT Innovators of the Year were John Taylor and Leah Taylor – no, they’re not related – who came up with an app for Agriculture, Weights and Measures pest collectors. It lets them map where they find invasive insects on a smartphone, rather than using paper logs. A tip of the cap to John, Leah and everyone working on ways we can take advantage of new technology.
Who wants to wade into tense domestic situations and make judgment calls that could radically change people’s lives? That’s what social workers do – every day. Some of them somehow find the energy to keep giving to the community once their work day is done. Each year, a social worker receives the Jay Hoxie Award in recognition of their commitment to volunteer service. The most recent winner was Brent McCloud, who does volunteer work with at-risk youth in Mexico, as a coach in Escondido, in a juvenile diversion program, with the homeless, and more. Again, that’s on top of his job! Four additional nominees for the award were Cesia Alvarado, Brittany Alanis, Leticia Abrego and Monica Bonilla. You want to talk community engagement – these folks are really showing us the meaning of thrive!
Did you make a “colorful choice” or “dare to stair” this past year? Thousands of employees have participated in the fantastic variety of activities offered in our Employee Wellness Program. Of people who joined at least six of the programs, 77 were chosen as Wellness Champions. These employees are setting a great example and we’d all do well to – literally, maybe – follow in their footsteps. A quick shout-out as well to Wellness Coordinator William Erese for putting these activities together and making the path to better health fun.
Fact of life for a big public agency: we regularly get sued or threatened with legal action. County Counsel is there to defend us, and we couldn’t ask for a better team of lawyers. The office’s George Brewster recently got the San Diego County Bar Association’s award for Outstanding Service by a Public Attorney. That was for both his work here, overseeing civil lawsuits and claims, and a variety of service in the community, including advocacy for the developmentally disabled and affordable housing. Just one attorney gets the award each year, so it’s quite an honor for George, and we’re lucky to have him.
I can’t tell you how pleased I am to see the way our Customer Experience Initiative has taken off and everyone showing their commitment to HEART. Even though it emphasizes direct and immediate recognition at the department level, we did want to recognize examples of customer service excellence at the County level. So we came up with the HEART of Service award. The first winner was a group of 18 people from Child Support Services who launched a program that regularly puts caseworkers at several library branches, even into early evening hours. It’s difficult for many of their customers to get to Child Support’s central office. Having options on location makes it much more convenient for parents, which ultimately makes the department’s work to support children more effective.
OK, that’s just a very few of the outstanding performances I see from our County workers, daily, all year long. You’ve heard athletes say in a million post-game interviews: it was a team effort. That’s the story for us as well. I’m glad to give a much-deserved spotlight to a few people here, but I know they’re part of, and supported by, a much bigger team. Another day, other people will come up big and make our highlight reel. We’ll celebrate their successes because they’re our success.
Giving out 17,000+ high-fives just isn’t going to work in person, but I’m sending you each a virtual one here. Thanks for all you do to help the team – and let’s play ball!
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